Chemical laboratory glassware consists of a variety of equipment, which is used in chemical laboratories. It is generally used for activities such as scientific experiments.
In modern chemistry, some glass equipment has been replaced by plastic, which can be handled more easily due to its lower fragility. However, the quality and properties of glass still require its use in a variety of applications. One of these is, for example, its high resistance to heat.
Still today, chemical laboratory glassware represents the main category of equipment used in laboratories.
Glass types used for chemical laboratory glassware
The glass used for chemical laboratory glassware is in turn divided into different categories, depending on its qualities and characteristics:
- Lead glass. Obtained by the addition of lead oxide, leaded glass is characterised from other types of glass by its high refractive index. As a result, it appears brighter and is for this reason widely used in glassblowers, particularly in artistic glassblowers.
- Borosilicate glass is a glass with a high refractive index.
- Borosilicate glass. This type of glass is the most suitable for chemical laboratory glassworks, thanks to its ability to resist thermal stress and its low coefficient of expansion. Borosilicate glass has a further application in the disposal of radioactive waste. This is due to its high resistance to corrosion.
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- Quartz glass. One of the main characteristics of quartz glass is its ability to withstand high temperatures. This is due to its composition, consisting almost exclusively of silica, which gives it a low expansion index. In addition, this type of glass has high transparency and is permeable to ultraviolet radiation.
- Silica glass.
- Silica glass. These types of glass are suitable for the production of UV bulb bulbs due to their high thermal resistance and electrical and chemical resistivity. They are borosilicate glass derivatives, and contain less silica than quartz glass.
- Non-silica glass
- Non-silica glass. They are composed of mixtures of different types of oxides, and are mostly used for infrared transmission. One field of use for non-siliceous glass is, for example, optical glass.
- Sodium glass.
- Calcic sodium glass. One of the most common types of glass, being the material that makes up everyday objects such as windows and glass bottles. It is characterised by its persistence over time, due to the presence of calcium oxide in its composition.
- Calcium sodium glass.